CINDERELLA LAND.

Hokitika Guardian, 28 September 1926, Page 4

CINDERELLA LAND.

SOUTH WESTLAND AREA. JACKSON’S BAY AS A POltT. (By a Christchurch “Sun’’ special reporter). The phantom cutters of tlie old-time whalers, they say, still ply in Jackson’s Bay. Jf what the Canterbury and Westland Progress Leagues are asked to advocate beat’s iruit, this natural port of South \\ estland will become tlio calling-place of ships of commerce. In spite of its reputed mineral, flax, timber and cattle-raising resources, South Westland is an area long since forgotten in the scheme of general development in the Dominion. For over 00 years this port has been preserved practicallv in its wild, natural state, a Cinderella land awaiting a beneficent fairy to give it the means of propel- communication and enable it to liml greater expi'csson. Fifty years ago there were some 7CO men, womeu and children irom tho Haast to Jackson’s Bay: at the last election 22 persons were entitled to a vote in the area. In order to develop this portion of Westland there must be road and sea communication. The Westland branch of the .Canterbury Progress League lias striven tor a long time to proclaim the potentialities of the area, arid in co-opera-tion with the Canterbury League the Westlamlers arranged for a visit of inspection. The party set out on . September 14, by the Government steamer Tutanekai, from Bluff. _ Tho party comprised Mr M. 1. Morpeth (Commissioner of frown Lands. Westland). Mr C. S. Ncvil e tThh]»oc:ttM* of Stock, Hokitika). - 1 Colin M aefa rlaiie (Crown Lands Ranger, Hokitika), Mr 0. H Judd (Waddington) . Mr S. • Pord (Momtika). and a “Sun” representative and two photographers. Jackson’s Bay ins reached on Tuesday last, four days behind schedule. The. original idea was that the party should ride to Okuru, 27 miles away, and there be picked up by the Tutanekai again. Time and the sea conditions precluded that, and the three Government men, with a photographer set out on a ride of 110 miles iifi the coast through rough country. If the whole party had desired to make the ride there were only four horses available; a hitch had occurred somewhere. - The population of South Y\ estland JO years ago consisted mostly of Poles. Italians, Germans. Swedes and Danes, with a. sprinkling of Scots, Irish and English. These settlers were given 10-acre lots, and wore ptid by the Government for working on tiio roads. They were to work three days on the roads and three on the land. That contract, however, was not carried out. as could be .expected. and the Government took its polyglot settlers back to Wellington. Most of them settled in Danncvirke, and that town is now populous and prosperous. EARLY SURVEYS. Beyond a doubt the Government saw a bright future for Westland, and areas were set. aside as towns. they have been set aside ever since : they appcfir on paper only, reminders of more picturesque times and hopes not realised. Towns on paper and roads in realiiv are two separate propositions. It is a truth that prosperity follows ; the roads whether they he of rail or macadam, and no country is greater than its moans of transport and communication. That is why South Westland is a back, number ; it is the roadless west, and , retrogressive in spite of itself. Narrow, bush-cHd, smampy, mountainous. and a prey to the blackberry, it is little else in the south hut a place of beauty given over to the birds. The Vogel Government planned to settle this western coast. Two of the places set anart for settlement were. Jackson’s Bay, to he known as Senooinbe. in Lower Westland; and Martin’s Bay, farther south, in Otago, to bo known as Jamestown. Roth these places refused to be settled, | though Soaconi.be made a great effort. In 1871, at Seacombe, or Jackson’s Bav, as it now is. 25 sections were sold at from £7O to £BO a section, a high figure for land in those, days. The population grew lo over SCO. and there on the e'earing a main street was lornied. and the place boasted R’hiiison's Hotel, an efficient little lock -ii]), and many houses. Now there is not a. single resident of Jackson’s B,iy, the main street is a bog, and the town has been overgrown by dense native hush. Two corrugated iron shanties stand uncortainlv among the invading growth, and driftwood is strewn along the shore. Sandflies and thrush. blackbird. wood-pi treOn and 1 1. r-I I-T»i i-tl lin’d rn’irt wlioro Senemnlic u'e'd I •• he. Long before the days r.f Beac.embe the h.'rbour was the rendezvous of whaling men. Another town on the map only is n Wnitoto. on the 'Waitoto or Bloody - River. It is a town of one resident, the ferryman-prospector of 21) years’ J standing, who receives £75 a year ) from the Westland County Council ) for ferrying people across the river, j The Wailoto is not navigable, mil ) never will he. SNOW ON OTHER SIRE. ' .Those who set down on mans ’ where Oleum was to he, chose the I north bank of the river of that name, ) hut no one ever lived there. Yet the ) lithographic plans show all the sec- | lions neatly numbered off. The rcsi- ) dents of tho lodvitv spurned Hie siir- . veyor’s plans, and live now on the southern hank. * However, ivl tlipt is an interesting ) commentary on the rise and fall of I settlement of Southern Westland, i The Progress. League is not advnI eating the wholesale reading of the whole or South Westland, and wisely l so, perhaps, as the obstacle of the ! I rugged Perinea country is one fraught j with no small degree of engineering difficulty. What the league is asked to urge is the formation of a road from Jacksen’s Ray to- Okuru, a distance of 2! miles, to join the three miles of formed road now in use at the Okuru end.*' According to official ‘information and that from those enthusiastic jdjout the proposition, there is 800,- t 030,000 feet of red. white and silver nine between the Wainta or Maori River and Jack-oil's Pay. Tt is ,-esti- , mated that in the country between Okuru and Jackson’s Bay six mills could operate for 25 veers on the timber land. The Okuru-Jaeksou’s Buy strip is the key to one quarter of the province of Westland. It is said. too. that the country is rich in untapped mineral resources beyond reach because of inaccessibility by road. The proposed road would skirt the foothills and open up farming land. There are thousands of acres of swamp land, and it is said that their drainage would he worth while, considered in relation to a road. Cattle-raisi up. dairying, pig-raising and the Max industry, besides sidelines, could all be exploited il th road were formed from Jackson’s Bay to Okuru. THE ONLY PORT. .Jackson's Bav is the only natura'. prot not an estuary in Westland. I 1 is deep, capacious and well-sheltered Irani southerlies. It is hoped to make ] it the port for South. Westland. But - in the eyes of the Fir-seeing it would have a wider significance. A road over tho, Haast Pass would top Central Otago and make the port still ! more ini|K>rtant. In the area to be served hv the 1 proposed road there are said to be | LOGO acres of dairying country in - occupation now. and 41)00 more could be brought into occupation. B’ drainage 19,030 acres could lie made profit-earning. Then, again, land on ” which mills brve been in operation wan’d be workable. Mr Morpeth estimates that £>0.009 v will ho required to construct the 24 miles of road and bridge, among ,j others of the Arawata. (store-house track) River, the Waitoto, the turnbull. and Okuru Rivers. He holds that 11 if the road had been uvule at any time n since old storage came into vogue, h then the population of South Vest- p land would lx- 15(X> or *2OO-) instead of 50 as it is to-day. p Patrick anil Denis Nolan (Okuru), Harris Bros. (Okuru). Macpherson -- Bros. (Okuru), Cron Bros. (Haast), <■> and the Eggling Bros. (Okuru), iare tl

lie principal land-holders between ho Okuru and Jackson’s Bay. Tho Nolans, who have land about Jackon’s Bay and in. the Cascade rounry, have 700 or 800 head of cattle in ho hack country, and about • 1000 beep also’. 'At the present time the mimals have to be driven along the < onshore from the Arawata River, i vhich is six miles from the site of t leaeombo, and drains into Jackson’s , 3ny. ' ( THE OBVERSE SIDE. Now that is the alluring prospect ield out hv those who seek the fur- 1 .her development of this part of ; Westland. There is an obverse side i o the medal that might be struck in •elehration ofi G'overnment sanction , o iho proposal. It is this: The country is narrow—not more than four miles at its widest /.irt. hounded by the sea and the range of mountains which forms the nigged backliono of this island from north to south. There are thousands if acres of sodden swamp, of alluvial deposit and decayed vegetation which would take a fortune to dram. Hie catchment area is large and the land low-lving. And of rain there is abundant' supply. The land is clothed in tangled supple-jacks, and ferns and scrub, a problem for the man bent on (lejuiim- it. The four big swamps are the Arawata. Haast. Waitoto and Maori, and some appear on the maps as “dismal.” Tho “Sun” man who went ashore with the party at Jackson’s Bay was told hv one of the few inhabitants of the district that all the profits made m a vear from cattle, sheep and dairying was absorbed in the recurring expense of keeping down second growth and lighting the blackberry post. At .Arawata there is a cemetery where 30 or 40 people wore buried veals ami. rt is now entirely obliterated by the blackberry. People can guess where th" cemetery used to lie. 1 lie opinion is held, tew that dairying is impossible in. the Jackson’s Rav district. at any rate. Gum hoots must he used in parts of the country. Of timber there is plenty. from Okuru to Jackson’* Ray. hut transport will he the difficulty, and il is questionable- whether, in view of the vast timber resources more accessible farther north, it would be profitable or worth while to Hell timber so distant as the area concerned. _ Concerning the deep natural hnrhour, if is poiiftod out, that while excellent shelter is provided by the heavily-wooded Jackson’s Head from the southorlv winds, no such shelter is afforded I'notn tho north-east and north-west winds. And when a northerly whips into Jackson’s Rav it lashes groat billows up tho sand beach. To build a breakwater to make the hnrhour safe in all weather would call for a large expenditure of time and money. AH the land worth while at present is in occupation, and tho road would servo the settlors’ interest. Tt seems, and theirs alone. Would the traffic o\ei the rokd justify such a large cost and provide for adequate maintenance ? These and other questions will, no doubt, be answered by the three Government men now exploring the land.